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U.S. Department of Education Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance Center ERCME xpress EEmmeerrggeennccyyRReessppoonnssee aannddCCrriissiissMMaannaaggeemmeenntt TTAACCeenntteerr Volume 2, Issue 4, 2006 ALL-HAZARDS NOAA WEATHER RADIO NETWORK NOW AvAILAbLE The National Oceanic and Atmospheric environments. A text message also appears Administration (NOAA) has upgraded its in the display window on the radio to Weather Radio network of the 1970s and identify the emergency. 1980s to the All-Hazards NOAA Weather 2. Battery-powered: The NOAA weather Radio (NWR) network. In 2004, NOAA and the radio also operates with batteries, enabling U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) it to serve as a back-up communication collaborated to enable DHS to disseminate channel during a power outage or other homeland security-related information systemic failure. over the NWR network. DHS’s goal was to 3. Programmable: The radio can be produce an effective and inexpensive tool for programmed to receive alerts (Specific Area communicating both weather-related and non- Message Encoding) for a specific geographic weather-related alerts to local communities— area such as a city, county or state. especially their schools—that rely on the information provided by the NWR network 4. Universally designed: To make the radios to better respond to a crisis or emergency. accessible to people with disabilities, they Listeners constantly monitor the broadcasts for: are outfitted with strobe lights and can weather warnings, watches and forecasts; public be linked to cell phones, Portable Digital safety hazards such as chemical spills; terrorist Assistants (PDAs), personal computers or threat advisories; or Amber Alerts (for missing teletypewriters. and abducted children). Whether an emergency 5. Language accessible: In selected areas, the is national, regional or local, NWR provides radios receive alerts in Spanish as well as in communities with instant access to information English. to protect their citizens and facilities. NWR Frequencies NOAA Weather Radio Features All-hazards weather radios receive broadcasts on the public service band at the following The five features listed below make it easy to frequencies: integrate the NWR network into offices and  162.400 MHz; schools:  162.425 MHz; 1. Silent: Tone alerts signal that information  162.450 MHz; (e.g., a weather warning) is about to be  162.475 MHz; aired, with broadcasts continuing until the  162.500 MHz; alert officially ends. Because the radio  162.525 MHz. and is silent until a warning light is issued, it  162.550 MHz; will not disturb the working or learning Using NWR at School I applaud the principals and school [staff] NWR’s all-hazards radios should be placed in who work hard to keep our students safe. schools’ main offices or other strategic locations These radios will help to provide as much where designated staff can monitor the radios advance warning as possible, so schools can throughout the day. Whoever monitors the radios be prepared to handle any situation calmly must know what action to take for each type of and safely. emergency or crisis that is broadcasted. Having U.S. Secretary of Education a local map nearby will help officials track the Margaret Spellings emergency or crisis and plan a response. Message Encoding (SAME) capability will warn Obtaining and Programming an listeners about emergencies anywhere within the All-Hazards Radio coverage area of the radio transmitter (typically All-hazards weather radios may be purchased in several counties). The NWR network includes electronic stores and generally cost between $30 more than 1,000 radio transmitters across the and $80. The equipment must be programmed country that broadcast continuous weather using the radio menu or printed instructions, information directly from the National Weather which also describe how to program the radio Service. Coverage areas continue to expand; for a specific geographic area. Receivers with updated coverage area maps can be found at tone-alert capability but not Specific Area http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/usframes.html. Additional Resources  Designing Your Severe Weather Plan  NOAA Weather Radio Coverage Maps http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/swep http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/usframes.html  U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools,  NOAA Weather Radio SAME Codes Emergency Planning http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan For information about the Emergency Response and Crisis Management grant program, contact Tara Hill at [email protected]; Michelle Sinkgraven at [email protected]; or Sara Strizzi at [email protected]. suggestions for newsletter topics should be sent to the ERCM TA Center suggestion box at www.ercm.org. This publication was funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education under contract number GS23F8062H with Caliber Associates Inc. The contracting officer’s representative was Tara Hill. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs for information created and maintained by private organizations. This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of information or a hyperlink or URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.